Support for Johnson may have faded

Jul. 12, 2010

Charles Manning said he didn't think change was necessary.

Written by

Brad Schrade and Jaime Sarrio

THE TENNESSEAN

DECISION TO LEAVE

Last month, Melvin Johnson did not talk like a man ready to retire.

Embattled by campus critics asking for a leadership change from the Tennessee Board of Regents — which hires and fires university presidents — Johnson seemed determined to remain. He said he would lead Tennessee State University as long as he was effective and had the support of the board and the leadership at his university.

By Wednesday, something had changed in that equation. In a hastily called meeting with his cabinet, he informed them of his decision to step down and enter the classroom as a professor.

During a three-month investigation of TSU and Johnson's leadership, The Tennessean found signs that Regents officials were displeased with the direction at TSU. Chancellor Charles Manning said TSU was the most difficult school to manage in the system of six universities and 13 community colleges. He gave a lukewarm comment about Johnson's leadership during an interview in June.

"It's conceivable there are people who could do a better job," Manning said. "But it's also quite conceivable somebody could do a much poorer job."

But he also said he didn't think a leadership change at TSU was necessary.

"There's a significant cost in change," Manning said. "So when you look at everything and people throw out this option — wouldn't it be better for somebody else to be doing that — I believe they are discounting that. … Change for change's sake is not something I find compelling."

Yet at least one board member expressed concern about the turmoil on campus.

Regents member Greg Duckett said complaints he receives about TSU, which started almost from the day he joined the board in 2006, are a "hodgepodge of issues." Some people complain about stewardship of public resources, he said, while others comment either directly or indirectly on the campus leadership.

He said the criticism, whether true or untrue, presents problems for TSU and can't be ignored.

"When you continually hear things, either there's false expectations or there are problems within the institution," said Duckett, a senior vice president at Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp. in Memphis. "Either way, it needs to be addressed. The worst thing we could do is ignore something and let the talk persist without looking at it."

On Thursday, Duckett said he knew Manning had talked to Johnson about a number of concerns and comments, but he heard about the retirement only shortly before it became public. He takes Johnson's statements about his decision to leave for family and personal reasons at face value.

"At the end of the day, the Board of Regents and the chancellor need to make a decision that's in the best interest of the institution," Duckett said. "For whatever reason, President Johnson made a decision his efforts would be better served in the classroom and not as president. Now my energy is focused on finding the best replacement."

Antagonistic feelings linger

The state's relationship with TSU is somewhat scarred by history and the state's racial past.During the segregation era, the TSU community often viewed state education officials as antagonists and agents of the white power structure, according to The Civil Rights Movement in Tennessee: A Narrative History, a book by TSU history professor Bobby L. Lovett.

Today, some of those feelings linger. Some people believe the board is all-controlling, while others see it as too hands-off. The board sees its role as one of setting policy, guidelines and oversight, but not day-to-day operations.

Manning performs annual job evaluations for university presidents. But there is no written record from those meetings, which makes it difficult for the public to gauge Regents' assessments of presidents.

"He's very much trying to make it a positive experience to help people move forward in the right direction. If there's something he's not pleased with, he tells you as it arises," Regents spokeswoman Mary Morgan said.